Technology-Driven Agriculture: Prioritizing Farmers And Transforming Rural India

In a recent development, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar released crop-specific standard operating procedures (SOP) for the pesticide application with drones, along with a guidebook named as “Machinery for Millets Production, Processing and Value Addition”. The release of these guidelines is expected to help farmers and other stakeholders improve the cost-effectiveness and safety of pesticide application. 

Overview

During the release, Shri Tomar emphasized the importance of using technology in agriculture to achieve the government’s goals of promoting agriculture and improving the financial condition of farmers. The minister also stressed the need to ensure that the benefits of agricultural schemes, including the use of drones, reach the last person. In this regard, the government is making efforts to make Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) more efficient and organize awareness sessions for agricultural students to make them capable of farming on their own land. Shri Tomar also highlighted the importance of millets, which are being celebrated worldwide as the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna) in 2023.

Key points

• Agriculture is a priority sector for the Indian government and it is making continuous efforts to improve the financial condition of farmers and promote agriculture.
• The government is working towards reducing the cost of production and increasing the remuneration of farmers.
• Technological support is crucial for the agriculture sector to achieve its goals, and the government is linking schemes with technology.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasizes the importance of technology in agriculture and works towards its implementation.
• The Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has provided about Rs 2.5 lakh crore to farmers.
• The micro-irrigation project is proving to be fruitful, and there is a continuation of efforts towards promoting Natural Farming techniques.
• Drone technology is being used to reduce the cost of production and avoid the side effects of pesticides, and farmers will benefit extensively from it.
• The use of drones in agriculture should be made accessible to small farmers and common graduates and awareness sessions should be organized for them.
• The year 2023 is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets, and the demand and consumption of millets should increase to boost production, productivity, processing and export.
• Financial assistance is provided to ICAR institutes, KVKs, SAUs and FPOs for the purchase and demonstration of drones in farmers’ fields, and agricultural graduates setting up CHCs are also given financial assistance.

Conclusion

The release of Crop Specific “Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Application of Pesticides with Drones” and the booklet on “Machinery for Millets Production, Processing and Value Addition” by the Indian government shows its commitment to promoting the use of technology in the agriculture sector. The government’s efforts to link schemes with technology and make drone technology accessible to small farmers and graduates will help reduce the cost of production and increase the remuneration of farmers, ultimately improving the agriculture sector’s financial condition.